Improvement in cordage-machines



UNITE STATES ATENT OFFICE.

JAMES PINELOF HOOSICK FALLS, NEI/V YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN CORDAGE-MACHINES.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent No. 16,694, dated February24, 1857.

To all whom/,it may concern Be it known that I, JAMES PINE, of HoosickFalls, in the county of Rensselaer and State of New York, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Rope-Making Machinery; and I dohereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure lis alongitudinal vertical section of a rope-making machine with myimprovements. Fig. 2 isa transverse vertical section of the same in theline 00x of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a section of one of the fliers, exhibitingthe Inode of producing tension on the strands.

` Fig. 4 isa detail view of one part of the machine.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each of theseveral figures.

This invention consists, irst, in certain means by which an additionaltwist is put into the strands simultaneously with or, more strictlyspeaking, subsequently to a stretching operation, which takes placesubsequently to the twisting operation produced by the strand-fuers andpreviously to the laying operation, such additional twist being intendedto compensate for the reduction of twist that is consequent upon thestretching operation.

It consists, secondly, in certain meansof producing friction on thestrand -bobbins, whereby a uniform tension of the strands is producedduring the twisting operation ofthe main fliers, whether the bobbinscontain a large or small quantity of strand.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willproceed to described itsconstruction and operation.

A A are two standards erected upon a bedpiece B for the purpose ofcontaining the bearings of the main or laying spindle O, which occupiesa horizontal position.

D is a rotating cast-iron head, keyed lirmly to the spindle C for thepurpose of containing or carrying the bearings a a for the hollowspindles F of the strand-fliers S, which are like those used in othermachines, but which, for the sake of distinguishing them from the fliersfor stretching and prod ucingadditional twist subsequently tostretching, may be termed the main iiiers. This head is made of the formof a truncated cone, as

shown in Fig. 1, when the axes of the Iiiers are to be inclined to thelaying-spindle, but of cylindrical form when the axes of the iiiers areto be parallel with the laying-spindle. In either case it is hollow andopen at the end farthest from where the lay takes place in the spindleC. In the drawings only one of the main Hier-spindles is shown placed inthe head D, as that is suiiicient to illustrate my invention.

E is one of a number of liicrs corresponding with the number ofstrand-iiers, and placed in line with the strand-fliers in bearings cta2, carried by the head D, the spindles G of the said fliers, which maybe termed the st-retching and additional twist fliers,7 standing in linewith the spindles F of the main iiiers between the said spindles and thelaying-point of the laying-spindle, but being entirely independent ot'the saidl spindles, the said fliers E carrying each two tapergroovedrollers I I, arranged to rotate freely in bearings in their headsparallel with the axes of the said iers for the purpose of stretchingthe strands after they receive their twist from the main fliers S. Oneof these liiers E is shown in section in Fig. 4 and entire in Fig. l.The strands pass from the bobbins H of the main fiiers all the Waythrough the hollow spindles F thereof and through the spindles G of theiiers E as far as the interior of the front heads b of the said fliers,where they pass through holes in the said spindles, as shown at c inFigs. l and 4, and from thence to and around the stretching-'rollersv'II, from whence they pass back through other holes in the spindles of thefliers E, close to the back heads b thereof, as shown at d in Figs. land 4, and from thence through the interior of the rear portions of thespindles to the holes in the rear part of the laying-spindle. Thestretch is given to the strands after the twist produced by the fliers SS by their passing round the grooved rollers I I from their smaller totheir larger diameters, the said rollersbeing caused to rotate by thetension produced by the windlass employed to take up the laid rope. Theadditional twist after the stretching of the strands is given by therotation of the Iiiers E on their axes in the same direction as but at aslower speed than the rotation ot the fliers S S on their axes.

The rotation of the fliers on their own axes is produced simultaneouslywith their revolution round the laying-spindle by the following means:.I is a hollow shaft or sleeve it' ting to turn freely on thelaying-spindle, but prevented from moving longitudinally thereon. Thishollow shaft or sleeve carries a gear K, gearing with a gear L on thespindle F of each strand-flier S, and also carries a gear M, smallerthan K, gearing with a gear N, larger than L, on the exterior of theforward head b of each of the stretching and extratwist fliers E. Thegears K L M N are all beveled when the axes of the fliers are inclinedto the axis of the layingspindle, as shown in the drawings; but when theaxes of the Iiiers are parallel with the laying-spindle the gears willhave parallel faces. The shaft J carries, in addition to the gears K andM, a pulley O, which receives a band e from a pulley P on a short shaftQ, that is arranged in bearings below the laying-spindle, said shortshaft receiving motion by a band f, running to its pulley P, from apulley R on the laying-spindle- The pulleys O, P, and R are of suchrelative sizes and the bands e and fare so arranged that the hollowshaft J receives rotary motion from the laying-spindle at a highervelocity than the rotation of the laying-spin-- dle itself, andconsequently the gears K and M give rotary motion to the fliers on theiraxes, and as the gear K is larger than the gear M and the gears Lsmaller than the gears N the fliers E rotate at a higher velocity thanthose S, though in the same direction. The amount of strand twist may bevaried by shifting the bands e and fto larger and smaller portions oftheir respective pulleys to change the relative velocities of thelaying-spindle and its external shaft or sleeve J; but such change willnot affect the relative velocities of the fliers S and E.

The device for producing tension on that part of the strand receivingtwist from the main fliers by producing friction on the bobbins Hconsists in a curved lever g, attached by a fulcrum-pin i to the back ofthe flierframe and having rigidly attached to it one end of a curvedspring j. This spring is practically the same as a portion of the curvedlever, or the whole may be considered as an elastic lever; but thespring is made in a separate piece to enable it to be adjusted, as willpresently be described. The spring is intended to bear on the surface ofthe yarn or strand on the bobbin, while the opposite end of the lever tothat to which the spring is attached bears upon the periphery of one ofthe heads of the bobbin at a point almost diametrically opposite towhere the spring presses on the yarn or strand, and thus the tension ofthe spring, which is exerted in such a way as to curl it up, is causedto make friction both between the lever and the head of the bobbin andbetween the spring and the yarn or strand.

meer,

This friction is greatest when the bobbin is full and the spring moststrained, and it is least when the bobbin is empty and the spring leaststrained, and hence it will be seen that the greatest friction isproduced when most neededthat is to say, when the tension of the yarn isexerted at the greatest distance from the center of the bobbin, and viceversa, and if the spring is properly constructed the friction willalways vary inversely with the diameter of the external coils of yarn orstrands on the bobbin. The force of the spring is graduated by means ofa screw 7c screwing through the lever 7L in a proper position to pressagainst the outer side of the spring, as shown in Fig.

The means of heating the strands in making tarred rope consists of adouble cylindrical steam-jacket U, arranged concentrically to thelaying-spindle to surround all the working parts of the machine. Thisjacket is to be closed at the ends with movable wooden shutters V V orotherwise, so as to inclose the whole of the working parts of themachine when in operation, leaving onlyT the ends of the laying-spindleand the drivinggear exposed. The jacket U may be supplied from theexhaust-pipe of a steam-engine or by a pipe direct from a steam-boilerto heat the jacket and keep all parts of the machine with which thestrand comes in contact, and the strand itself, as far as or beyond thelaying-point, well warmed, by that means making it exible and easy towork.

I do not claim the use of stretching-rollers I I, except when used in aflier E, applied as described, nor do I claim producing friction on thebobbins of the iiiers by means of springs applied otherwise than asdescribed, but

That I do claim as my invention, and desire to Secure by Letters Patent,is-

l. The additional fliers E, carrying the stretching-rollers arrangedrelatively to the main fliers S, substantially as described, andderiving motion in the same direction as the said fliers, but at a lessvelocity, and operating, substantially as herein specified, to stretchthe strands after they have received the usual twist and to impart anadditional twist to compensate for the reduction of twist by stretching.

2. The device for producing a uniform tension on the strands by frictionupon the stran d-bobbins, consisting of the elastic curved lever orcombined lever and spring hj, attached by a fulcrum-pin 'L' to the{lier-frame and operating on one head of the bobbin and upon the surfaceof the outer coil of yarn or strand on the bobbin, substantially asherein set forth.

JAMES PINE.

l/Vitnesses:

S. PARsoNs CORNELL, J. GORDON RUssELL.

